Concentrator



W. A. HUELSDONK July 31, 1928.

CONCENTRATOR Filed Aug. 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WmA.Hae 53222: BY QM Qmm ATTORNEY July 31, 1928.

W. A. HUELSDONK GONCENTRATOR Filed Aug. 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2WinA.Hue9Zl211Z/c BY Q ATTCRN EY Patented July 31, 1928.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM A. HUELSDONK, OF MERCED FALLS, CALIFORNIA.

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Application. filed August 16, 1926. Serial No. 129,310.

Thisinvention relates to improvements in devices for saving orconcentrating precious metals of all kinds, such as gold, silver,platinum, etc.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of thischaracter especially adapted for separating such metals from theaccompanying sand, gravel and the like, by means of a flow of water andvibration, when such metals are in a finely divided condition and are insuch minute particles or flakes that ordinary concentrating apparatuscan not separate the same from the lighter material generally termedtailings.

A further object of the invention is to provide a concentrator which canwork on mill pulp, and all placer mining material, and the like, withoutthe use of quick silver or other amalgam, and which will operate to saveand concentrate sulphides and the precious metals very quickly andseparately at one operatlon, and insuring a very high percentage ofconcentration of such precious metals and sulphides being obtained.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposefor which it is deslgned.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar charactersof reference indicate correspondingparts. in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the complete apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the concentrator table. and troughunit detached.

Fig. 3 is a top, plan view of said unit with certain "parts broken out,

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. a a

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a concentrating attachment to beadded as an extension to the main concentrating unit when desired.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral 1 denotes a rectangular open topped body inthe'form of a deep trough of suitable dimensions and construction. Thisbody adjacent its opposite ends has bearin plates 2 whose under edgeshave an upwar and forward slope. These edges ride on longit-udinallyspacedand transversely extend- 1 counteracting 'These sprlngs arearranged relative to each .tudinal troughs 20.

ing rollers 3 supported in a fixed position on a base 4. The member 1 isagitated or shaken longitudinally by means of a longitudinal rod 5mountedat one, end in connection with an eccentric structure 6 which: is

associated with a fixed transverse shaft 7 mountedabove the member 1.This shaft'is driven at any desired speed by any suitable form of powerplant, which it is not thought necessary to show. The other end of therod 5' is slidable througha block 8 fixed between supports 9 which areattached to and pro-' 'ject upwardly from thesides of the member 1. Therod on both sides, of the block has compression springs 10.

other and to the blockand are of such relative strength or pressure asto cause the member 1 with the reciprocation of the rod to be agitatedor shaken with a relatively sharp movement in a longitudinal directionfrom itsforward toward its rear end.

Themember 1 has a bottom floor or table 11 extending the full length andwidth thereof. Toward the sides of the member 1 the floor is formed witha plurality of longitudi nal rillie grooves'12 extending from end to endof the floor. Between the sets of grooves the floor is formed with alongitudinally extendingshallow well 13 terminatingshort of both ends ofthe member 1. Projecting upwardly at intervals from the bottom of thewell toa point a certain distance above the floor are outlet members 14,while between said members the bottom of the well has other and smalleroutlet openings 15 therethrough; Both the openings 14 and 15dischargeinto' a longitudinal sluiceway 16 mounted in" unitaryconnection with the member 1 and'open across the rear end there- 'of.The floor is flexible and is supported. v along its center at intervalsby vertically adjustable hangers '17 sup'portedhby cross beams 18mounted on top of the member 1. By raising and lowering these. rods thefloor may therefore be given a transverse,

convex, orconcave curvature for the purpose hereinafter seen.

Extending lengthwise in the member from the forward toward the rear endthereof and from the top downwardly toward the floor are transverselyspaced plates 19. These plates extend to and upwardly of the sides ofthe member 1 for a certain distance and form with said sides, anglebottomed longi The bottoms of said troughs are some distance above thefloor and the peak or apex is located in a transverse plane adjacent theoutermost rlfi'le grooves 12. Cut at longitudinal intervals through theupwardly sloping sides of the plates 19 between the bottom peaks and theadjacent sides of the member 1 are open ings 21, while between the sidesof the member l and plates 19 are longitudinally spaced outlet openings22, which extend downwardly from the top of the troughs and alsodischarge onto the floor. Feed chutes 23 carry ing the water andmaterial to be worked on discharge into the forward ends of the troughs20.

Adjacent the rear end of the member 1 the plates 19 make water-tightconnection with a downwardly and rearwardly sloping transverse apron 24which extends the full distance between the sides of the member 1,openings 24 being cut through the apron to communicate with the troughs20, said open ings being located below the upper ends of outlets 22. Atthe bottom this apron has a substantially horizontal rearwardlyprojecting extension 25 which likewise projects the full distancebetween the sides of the memher 1. This extension has a slight clownwardslope towardits rear end and at such end; which is a short distance fromthe rear end of the member 1, it terminates a slight distance above thefioorll. The well 13 terminates ahead of said extension. The rear endwall of the member 1 preferably has a rearwardly extending slope towardits upper end as shown. A. water pipe 26 by means of which freshwatermay be fed into the chamber 27 formed rearwardly of the apron 24:, ispositioned to discharge water onto the apron 24. The water generallyused however is that which passesinto the chamber through openings 24 iIn operation the material with the previous metal particles tobeconcentrated is discharged into the troughs 20 in connection with asufiicient quantity of water to oflset the out-flow through the openings21 and maintain a continual flow lengthwise ofthe troughs toa certainheight therein. The material and water passing through said openings 21drop onto the floor 11 vfrom which the water, etc. must flowtransversely rather than longitudinally owing to the central transverselocation of the discharge The material therefore passes transversely ofthe riflles and the precious metal particles being the heaviest will becaught and retained by such ritlles. The tailings fall into the well 13and pass through the outlets 15 into the sluiceway 16. The openings 15are so restricted in size relative to the volume of water passing ontothe floor as to cause the water on the floor to be maintained at a levelthereabove, this level being governed by the height of the relative tothe floor at the sides of the memher 1 may be altered, so that the depthof water retained on the fioor may be varied to suit differentconditions.

I have found from actual operation that over 99% of any precious metalparticles will be retained in the riilie grooves of this device. so thatit is extremely efiicient in operation.

lVit-h the peculiar longitudinal shaking movement imparted to theapparatus, as previously described, the heavy particles in the rii'llogrooves are gradually moved along said grooves toward the rear end ofthe member 1 and finally pass under the apron extension 25 into thechamber 27. The water from the pipe 26 or troughs 20 is fed into saidchamber in such quantities as to maintain the water level therein higherthan that on the floor ahead of said chamber. This causes a forwardcurrent or circulation of water to be set up from the chamber 27, betwenthe extension 25 and the floor 11 to a point ahead of said chamber. Thiscurrent acts on any comparatively heavy but non-precious particles inthe riiiies, and in the water, such as sulphides, and carriesthemforwardly to where they will discharge through the rearmost tailingoutlet 15 of the floor well. without disturbing the precious metalparticles.

A cover 28 is preferably maintained over said chamber 27 and kept lockeduntil it is desired to remove the contents, which may be done at anytime by means of an outlet 27 in the bottom of the chamber, and normallyclosed from the inside.

If the condition of the material being worked on requires aconcentration of the sulphides and the precious metals separate fromeach other, I may apply an extension member 29 to the rear end of themember 1 (see Fig. 5). This extension has rifiie grooves 12 in thebottom, the same as the grooves 12, a shortcentral well 13 betweentheriflles with outlets 14 and 15, atransverse apron structure 2 1beyond the well similar to the apron 24:, and an additional water pipe26 to discharge onto the apron 24 In this case the rear end of themember 1 has side openings 30 to enable the mineral contents still insuspension in chamber 27 to flow onto the side ritllcs 12 of theextension. Here they are further acted on by the additional rifll'es inconnection with the flow of water from the pipe 26*, which acts toseparate the precious metals from the heavy sulphides in the same manneras described in connection with the flow of the water from thechamber27;

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In this operation, the water level in chamber 27 becomes lowered so thatthe heavy sulphides pass into the same under the member 25. They thenpass through the openings 30 onto the floor 12*, being then dischargedthrough openings 15. The heavy metals in the water pass under the apron24 into the chamber beyond the same, which is also kept locked. -Thesulphidesas discharging may be saved, and in any event are separatedfrom the precious metals.

The purpose of the outlets 22 from the troughs 20, in addition to thebottom outlets 21, is to enable water to be discharged onto the floor inthe event that said outlets 21 are full of solid material, and will notallow suflicient Water to pass onto the floor.

While -I have here described one full working unit, such units may bearranged as a battery in side by side relation, to be driven by a singleengine and eccentric mechanism.

Whilethis specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail maybe resorted to as do not form a de arture from the spirit ofthe invention, as efined by the appended claims.

- Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A concentrator including a main body member, a floor in said memberhaving longitudinally extending riflie grooves therein, a chamber at therear end of the member and into which the grooves lead, means fordischarging .water and the material to be treated onto and from saidfloor in a manner to cause a flow of water and material to take placeacross the riflles whereby precious metal particles in said materialwill be caught and deposited in the riflles', means for shaking saidmember longitudinally to cause said particles to advance along thegrooves toward and into the chamber, and means for maintaining a supplyof water in the chamber at a level higher than that of the grooveswhereby to set up a forward flow of water along thegrooves from theceive water and the material to be treated extending lengthwise of thefloor above the same and to the side thereof opposite the outlets, saidtrough having discharge openings at intervals in its bottom, andadditional outlets discharging onto the floor between said openings andthe adjacent side of the floor from a level in the trough higher thanthat of the first named outlets.

4:. A concentrator including a fioorplate having-a plurality oflongitudinal. rifilegrooves therein, means for feeding material onto thefloor, a chamber at one end of the floor into which the grooves lead,means for causing the material in the grooves to advance to the chamber,means for maintaining Water in the chamber, and means acting to causesuch water to flow alongthe grooves and onto the floor ahead of the Vchamber and against the movement of the material therein toward thechamber.

5. A concentrator including a floor plate having a plurality oflongitudinal riiilegrooves therein, means for feeding material onto thefioor, a chamber at one end of the floor into which the grooves lead,means for causing the material in the grooves to advance to the chamber,means for maintaining water in the chamber at a predetermined level, anda substantially horizontal apron projecting into the chamber from theforward end thereof and disposed across and adjacent the floor with aslight upward slope from its rear end.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM A. HUELSDONK.

